United to win: Sweden donates advanced demining machine to Ukraine
Photo: Försvarsmakten
Sweden is preparing to hand over the ScanJack 3500 demining machine to Ukraine, capable of neutralizing enemy ammunition at depth.
The Armed Forces of Sweden reported this.
What is the problem?
According to the data of the regional military administrations, as of December 15, 268,600 hectares of agricultural lands have been surveyed since the beginning of the year, out of about 470,000 hectares planned for priority survey and demining.
Of these, about 205,000 hectares have been returned to operation.
In addition, 3,500 sappers are currently working in Ukraine, but this is not enough to demine territories contaminated by explosive objects.
The lack of special equipment for cleaning land from explosive objects, particularly mines located deep under a thick layer of soil, is particularly noticeable.
What is the solution?
The Swedish government decided to transfer the ScanJack 3500 demining machine, which is capable of neutralizing enemy ammunition at depth, in 2023.
Demining of buried mines is a necessary condition for the population in the combat zone to be able to return to everyday life afterward.
How does it work?
As the Swedish military explains, Ukraine sent people to the Scandinavian country at the end of summer and autumn last year. They were to be trained on this machine, which in Sweden has the designation Djupminröjningsmaskin 1 (DMR).
"The DMR, like many other things in the Armed Forces, is not just a machine, it is a complete system. A system that requires logistics, care, and maintenance," said the Swedish Armed Forces.
In the course of training, Ukrainians learned to manage the entire system. They demonstrated a high willingness to learn.
Photo: Försvarsmakten
"Ukrainians came here with various previous knowledge, and although there were problems, including with the language, they demonstrated a high level of skills in dealing with the system," the military said.
The Djupminröjningsmaskin 1/T is also called ScanJack 3500 and is based on the Finnish logging machine John Deere 1710D chassis.
They say that the 14-meter and 40-ton machine is equipped with a six-cylinder diesel engine that has a horsepower of 215. The vehicle is also powered by a Scania V8 diesel engine with a capacity of 571 liters, which possesses the following features:
- speed during clearing is 0.2-1.5 km/h,
- fuel consumption – from 60 to 80 liters per hour, depending on conditions.
To protect the driver, the chassis has been reinforced to withstand the bursts of explosives.
The DMR is controlled using a joystick from the cockpit, and behind it is a unit with chains that neutralize mines at a depth of up to 40 centimeters at high speed.
Photo: Försvarsmakten
When a mine is detected, it breaks or explodes under the action of chains.
For reference:
It should be noted that the engineering and sapper battalion of the Support Forces Command of Ukraine's armed forces will begin clearing the de-occupied Ukrainian territories with the help of GCS-200 mechanized demining machines.
